Local separatists were outnumbered about two to one in last Monday’s Alberta referendum.

Fort Saskatchewan - Vegreville saw 17,889  or 65.7 per cent of voters choosing to stay in Canada, while 9,349 or 34.3 per cent wanted to call a binding referendum on separation. This includes Monday’s vote, as well as advance and mail-in votes.

The results showed a strong urban/rural split, with 63.7 per cent of Fort voters who voted Monday choosing to stay in Canada, while 57.8 per cent of Vegreville voters doing the same, as did  54.9 per cent of Mundare voters.

Bruderheim voted 53.8 per cent in favour of holding a separation referendum, however. Chipman, Myrnam, Two Hills, Mannville, Innisfree and Lavoy also favoured a separation referendum.

Josephburg and Brookville supported staying in Canada.

Advance polls in both rural and urban areas of the riding also shored strong support for Canada, with 64 per cent overall choosing Canada.

More voters chose to use the advance and mail-in polls than voted on referendum day, Monday, with 40.8 per cent voting in advance and 19.3 per cent mailing in their ballots.

Mail-in votes showed the strongest support for Canada, with 88.5 per cent choosing to stay.

Local voters said yes to all of the other nine questions asked in the referendum. The closest vote being for Question Eight, opting out of federal programs, which received 14,647 votes in favour, to 13,148 against. The strongest support came for Question Three, requiring non-permanent residents to wait 12 months before receiving any provincially funded social support. This question received 16,076 votes or 69.5 per cent in favour, to 7,056 votes against.

Alberta overall rejected the separation question by more than three to one, with 75.0 per cent or 1,545,058 votes to stay in Canada, and only 513,919 votes for a binding separation referendum.

Alberta also rejected all four of the Constitutional questions, Questions six through nine.